Kathmandu— A jury in Clark County, Nevada, has found Duane ‘Keffe D’ Davis, a former gang leader and member of the South Side Compton Crips, guilty of first-degree murder with a deadly weapon for orchestrating the 1996 shooting that killed hip-hop artist Tupac Shakur. The conviction came after an 11-day trial in Las Vegas, where the jury deliberated for nearly three hours before reaching their verdict on Monday.

The Crime and Trial

Shakur was shot on September 7, 1996, after a confrontation at a Las Vegas casino between members of his entourage and Davis’s nephew. Prosecutors argued that Davis ordered the shooting to avenge the beating of his nephew. Shakur died six days later from gunshot wounds sustained in the attack.

During the trial, prosecutors played clips from Davis's various alleged confessions, which were detailed in his memoirs published in 2019 and interviews with law enforcement over the years. The defense argued that these statements were fictional and designed to promote his book.

Background of Tupac Shakur

Tupac Shakur, also known as 2Pac, was a key figure in the East Coast-West Coast hip-hop rivalry. Born in Harlem and raised in Baltimore, he became an emblematic figure of California hip-hop after signing with Death Row Records. Known for hits like “California Love” and “All Eyez on Me,” Shakur was only 25 when he died.

(With inputs from Al Jazeera)

Originally published on abcnews.com.np.